More information has been made available about the Salt shoot happening in Albany this week. According to the Daily Gazette, sections of Interstate-787, Route 20 and downtown Albany will be closed for two weeks starting Thursday as Columbia Pictures films scenes the movie, starring Angelina Jolie. There is no official word from the city or the production regarding who exactly will be in Albany filming but it is safe to bet Jolie will show up at some point since the filming is taking place over so many days.
Street closures will begin at 6 a.m. or 9 a.m. and will last until 4 p.m. or 8 p.m., depending on the location. It was also announced they are planning on doing as much filming as possible on the weekend to minimize impact on weekday taffic.
A Rome native will be appearing at the Tribeca Film Festival this month in his latest project, a “mockumentary” called Midget vs. Mascots. According to the Observer Dispatch, Mark Hapka, 26, has already appeared in several TV shows including Hannah Montana, The Ghost Whisperer, and Cold Case. Hapka co-stars with Gary Coleman in M v. M which is described as a cross between Jackass and the Real World/Road Rules Challenge.
Here’s the first trailer for the Ang Lee directed movie, Taking Woodstock, based on Elliot Tiber’s memoir, Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life.
Last summer, the movie shot almost entirely on location on Route 20 in New Lebanon, about 30 miles east of Albany on the border of New York and Massachusetts. On Location Vacations chronicled the shoot and got some fantastic set photos! Here are a few links, check them out!
Yesterday, Syracuse University held an all-day event focusing on the current state of television and its future in the digital age. The symposium was dedicated to Fred Silverman, the only person ever to have run programming at all three original television networks — ABC, CBS and NBC.
In one session, Silverman was interviewed by Steve Kroft, a longtime correspondent for CBS news magazine “60 Minutes” and fellow SU alumni. The event kicked off with a montage of programming that Silverman helped develop that included MASH, Hill Street Blues, Roots, All in the Family, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Silverman obviously has a great deal of insight when it comes to network television and how it can survive against cable, the internet, and a new on-demand mentality that dominates media consumption today.
“I think the big problem is people keep picking the wrong shows; they keep developing the wrong shows. People aren’t taking a chance. If you want to make a hit, you have to take a chance,” he said.
When asked what he would do to remedy the problems the networks are facing, Silverman suggested, “There should be an active effort to put shows on that reflect the world we live in.”
Silverman also predicted that there would be more local programming on the networks and that within the next five years every home will have a new viewing device that integrates the internet and television flawlessly.
Tiffany Pollard, aka New York, has starred in 4 different incarnations of her hit reality show I Love New York on VH1. First discovered as a contestant on Flavor of Love, where she vied for the love of Flavor Flav and quickly became a fan favorite, New York has gone on to her own franchise on VH1 including I Love New York, I Love New York 2, New YorkGoes to Hollywood, and the upcoming New York Goes To Work.
Pollard was born in Utica and lived here until joining the cast of Flavor of Love in 2006. Her mother, Michelle Rothschild-Patterson (also known as “Sister Patterson”), still lives in Utica and they are both frequently spotted at the local Wal-Mart and area restaurants. Pollard attended John F. Kennedy Middle School and graduated from Thomas R. Proctor High School in Utica.
A student film crew from the State University College at Oswego got a bit more than they had bargained for while filming on location in Oswego last week. The crew was filming a robbery scene at Flowers By Mr. John, 193 W. First St, when Oswego City police, state police, sheriff’s deputies and officers from the college responded to what they believed to be a real robbery after receiving a call from a “concerned citizen.” The students followed the officers’ commands and were let go when the police realized no actual crime was being committed.
Right now, there are at least 40 people taken hostage and 4 have been confirmed killed in a shoot out at the American Civic Association in Binghamton. Again, upstate NY is finding its way into the national spotlight under horrific circumstances, which, of course, contributes to the negative media stereotypes of upstate NY.
There isn’t too much information about why the shooter is holding hostages but you can follow the story as it unfolds at CNN.com.
The fictitious Syracuse New Times was mentioned this week on Castle. In the episode, Castle’s latest book is released to rave reviews but his mother, trying to keep him down to earth, finds a bad review in the Syracuse New Times. Of course, the paper (albeit fake paper) is not viewed in the best light as Castle and his daughter ponder how long it took her to “dig that up”. Castle, starring Nathan Fillion, is a new ABC drama about a murder mystery writer who shadows a female detective he is modeling his next character after. If you missed it, you can watch it now at Hulu.com.
Columbia Pictures filed a permit with the city of Albany and the State of New York to film a car chase scene on April 24th-26th and May 1st-4th. The scenes will be for the movie Salt, starring Angelina Jolie. Salt is currently filming on a sound stage in Long Island and on location throughout New York City. There is no official word on where the chase scene will take place but it will most likely be filmed on I-787.
